


A Race for Gideon

by xWastedIntellectual_13



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Adrenaline, Awkwardness, Blankets, Fast Cars, Flirting, Kind of xD, Lollipops, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Prompt Fic, Queen plays in the car!, Stargazing, Steve is Confused, Street Racing, Suggestive Themes, as per usual c:, assertive! Billy, car cuddles, mentions Neil Hargrove, steve cries, street racing!Billy, they both sing along
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23564212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xWastedIntellectual_13/pseuds/xWastedIntellectual_13
Summary: Billy misses his adrenaline-filled street races back in California...he looks into a different kind of fun in Hawkins to make up for it.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	A Race for Gideon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thursdayknight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thursdayknight/gifts).



> The summary makes this sound a little more smutty xD But it's not .-. But it could be :U I see the potential xD  
> I will be writing a smutty piece (also for Gideon) in the near-future anyways xDD So...keep them eyes peeled for that? >.>
> 
> ANYWAYS! This was a prompt request (from my usual list) by Gideon :) His request is as follows:  
> Street Racing AU, Situation 7: Going on a long drive somewhere, Sentence 4: "I... think I love you."
> 
> This was a fun write xD I don't know a bunch about cars and racing, but I hope it's okaaaay :U  
> Enjoy!

Back in California, Billy Hargrove would partake in the unsanctioned form of car racing every now and again; the high speeds, the adrenaline and danger that came with it, and the feeling that he could get in trouble was very exhilarating. The hidden community of street racing in California was pretty well established, so he really hated moving to THE-MIDDLE-OF-FUCKING-NOWHERE Indiana, where the craziest thing to grace over them was people running red lights...on ACCIDENT. There was no excitement, and definitely no street racers around. It was dull and dumb, and Billy really loathed that his father moved them out here just so he could “Stay out of trouble, and become a better son.” Bold of Neil to assume that Billy was going to give up on his love of street racing so easily.

Billy goes a few days, attempting to accommodate himself in this new monotonous lifestyle, until one day a pair of long legs at Basketball practice catch his attention. The owner of this pair of legs is quite gorgeous and interesting as well. Definite eye-candy for Billy, and he’s just so glad to finally get some adrenaline pumping in his body. He’s desperate to captivate this quirky person, so he throws some pet names at him, but they don’t seem to be landing. He then considers a change of gears.

\---

One day, Billy waits by the entrance of the school, leaning on the lockers with his hair still damp from hitting the showers after basketball practice. He waits patiently with a lollipop in his mouth and a smug look plastered on his face. When Steve finally turns the corner towards the school’s exit, Billy locks eyes on him and wastes no time attempting to corner him.

Steve flinches a little when Billy slams his hand against the lockers, blocking his path towards freedom. He’s a whole inch shorter than he is...but radiates so much more confidence than Steve ever did. Billy takes the lollipop out of his mouth with a loud POP and a lick of his lips.

“What are you doing Friday night, pretty boy?”

Oh god...there he goes again with the names. Steve has zero clue why this Billy guy is throwing him looks and off-beat nicknames. Is the “Princess” one supposed to intimidate him because he was once known as the “King” of the school? It’s all so confusing...and a little ridiculous to be perfectly honest.

“I...n-nothing. Why do you want to know that?” Steve says in a slight panic.

“Well, I’d like to take you out on a date. Hope you don’t mind.” Billy is playing with the candy using his tongue now, and Steve can’t help but break a sweat at the sight.

Steve gulps audibly loud...and feels odd at Billy’s assertiveness; not even asking him if he’s interested. Not that it matters, because to be perfectly frank, Steve DOES want to go out on a date...he just doesn’t want to admit that he’s been captivated by Billy since the first time he shoved him at basketball practice a few days ago. Billy gets closer to him in waiting for a response, and Steve just blinks once. Twice. And attempts a jumbled response but nothing comes out.

“I’ll wait for you after school on Friday then, alright? Leave your car at home.” He winks at Steve “Oh and... don’t keep me waiting or I’ll come looking.” Billy takes one last smoochy lick at his lollipop and shoves the sucker in Steve’s open mouth, walking away in a manner that makes Steve stare. Stare at the back of those jeans, perfectly hugging Billy’s bottom. He keeps the lollipop at the edge of his lips while staring, softening his gaze with each step Billy takes. He then realises what he’s doing and looks around to see some other dudes from practice walking by, so he looks away and instead takes the stick of the pop, taking it deeper in his mouth for a few licks...suggestive licks. He focuses on Billy’s saliva in his mouth. It’s gross...wet lollipop that tastes like synthetic strawberry and cigarettes; the perfectly captivating taste of what he imagines Billy’s mouth must taste like. He shakes the thought away from his head, and finally walks out to his car, definitely not throwing the lolly away when he walks past the trash can.

\---

As the week passes, Billy manages to rile up a few idiots from class and basketball to race with him somewhere in the outskirts of Hawkins; he REALLY misses the rush of it all, and has devised an extra set of plans for this particular race. Billy drove out on Thursday with Tommy and Carol so they could show him a good part of the woods for the race. They skipped part of the day from class to set up and tie some red ribbon on trees as pointers so the (two) other people racing wouldn’t get lost. Yes...Billy thought this was a good spot for racing, and he was very excited to let everyone know what he was fucking made of.

Now it was Friday after school, and Billy waited in the parking lot leaning against his Camaro. Max skated over in his direction and got inside the passenger seat of the car, wondering why the heck Billy wasn’t doing the same.

“Hey, dickhead!” She yelps through the open window, honking afterwards. “What are you waiting for?!” She honks lightly two more times.

“Quit it, shit bird!” He peeks his head inside the car. “I’m waiting for a friend. He better not have ditched me.” He mumbles that last part to himself and Max just huffs and sinks into her seat, a little frustrated. Fortunately for her, Steve steps out of the school doors a minute or so after, and Billy can’t help but throw some smug smiles at his direction.

“Glad I didn’t scare ya’, Harrington. Did you leave your car back home?” Steve nods with a blush. “Good...good. C’mon, hop in. I need to drop off my monster of a little sister home first, but afterwards we can go have some fun.” Billy doesn’t catch it, but Steve does notice (with a giggle) Max making all sorts of faces and rolling her eyes like crazy at Billy’s speech before they both enter the Camaro.

  
  


After running said ‘errand(s)’, the sun is setting and Billy licks his lips in anticipation. The thrill of the race is getting closer and closer, and he can’t wait to share that with Stevie boy here...now sitting next to him in the passenger seat; so close to him (but not close enough, he thinks).

When they drive further and further away from the neighbourhoods, Steve begins to get a little uneasy.    
“Ummm...W-where are we going?” he fidgets with the hem of his lovely forest green t-shirt.

“Relax, Steve.” He places his right hand on Steve’s left knee; to which Steve gawks with wide eyes. “I just thought our first date could be something more exciting than, say...dinner or a lame movie, don’t you think?” But Steve is still too focused on Billy’s hand. “Besides, I’ve been craving some real fun because I’m getting tired of this shit hole…” he removes his hand and places it back on the steering wheel.

“S-sure…” is all Steve can manage to say between nervous gulps. Where the hell could Billy be taking him? Why did he wait until nighttime? Is he genuinely interested in him or...What if he’s going to kidnap him and ask for a high sum of money in exchange!? Does Billy even know his parents are rich? It actually wouldn’t even matter. His parents would probably not do anything about the situation; they’d probably celebrate that they got rid of his ass...he never felt loved in that house anyways, so maybe kidnapping was fine? Steve is feeling defeated so he attempts to hush those thoughts. He just wants to believe that there really is some chemistry between him and Billy...there HAS to be; the boy is always throwing him some looks and licking his damn lips every single fucking minute he looks at him in school. Instead he just sits and hopes for the best, staring at the gorgeous full moon from his window view. He then feels the car slow down so he directs his view to the front instead and…

“...what’s going on?” Steve gapes at the sight of flags and other cars in formation. He notices a crowd of people chatting all around, making him more anxious. Steve is very confused, and the last thing he wants is to be on a date with BILLY and have people find out.

“We’re just going to have a little fun, Stevie.” Billy throws another one of his cheeky smiles at Steve as he makes his way towards the other cars and rolls down his window.

“About dang time, Bill! Where they hell were you?” Tommy yells across Carol, who is in the passenger’s seat of Tommy’s car, showing her pearly whites.

“Shove it, Tom...Don’t forget who organised this shit in the first place. I can arrive when I damn please.” Billy snickers back and aligns the car next to Tommy’s behind a white line drawn on the dirt road. The small crowd cheers, and they begin to disperse away from the cars, waving dollar bills all around.

“Hey Steve, didn’t expect to see YOU here tonight. Much less with Billy.” Carol giggles and waves to Steve.

“H-hi Carol...I don’t even know what’s going on to tell you the truth…”

“Are you going to place a bet on your new boyfriend’s car?” Carol then sticks half her body out of the window to shove some bills at a dude passing by with stacks of money.

“Oh my goodness, Carol…” Steve is now turning tomato red and placing his face onto the palms of his hands. He doesn’t even want to acknowledge her question anymore. Instead he tries to pry at Billy for answers. “Why are people betting money on cars? I don’t even…”

“Beats me. I just wanted the rush of a fun little ride...making it more illegal is on them.” Billy chuckles and rolls his window halfway. He proceeds to light up a cigarette, and takes a drag. “Ready Freddy?”

Steve throws wide eyes at Billy and can only muster a lame; “F-for a contest on who’s got the prettiest car?” Steve asks nervously...trying to convince himself that he’s not currently a part of a car race; but Heather holding a bandana above her head in a crop top does not help ease his mind one bit.

Billy smiles, cigarette in his mouth, and turns on his cassette deck; cranking up the volume as Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen booms from the speakers. “Buckle up, Stevie.” He makes the car roar, holding down the break.

The bandana touches the ground, and all hell breaks loose. Gas pedals being abused, dirt going everywhere behind the tires, and people shouting in amusement as the cars take off.

Billy is the first one to cross the white line. His car has excellent acceleration and he has plenty of experience; he knows no one will come close to beating him, but he’s more excited to show Steve a good time and brag about how cool his car & his driving is. He smiles just thinking about that.

On the passenger seat, Steve is not smiling though. Billy’s driving so fast and SO CLOSE TO THOSE TREES! He can do nothing but clutch with both hands to the sides of his seat, teeth close to grinding in his panic. Billy notices the tension.

“Relax Stevie...I’ve done this shit many-a-times.” He chuckles and tries to ease Steve into the environment. “Just let loose and have some fun, why don’t cha’?” but it doesn’t help that Billy pulls some freak drift on a dangerous curve. Steve is sweating bullets and only opens his eyes a few times to make sure they haven’t crashed. He peeks at his sideview mirror and see’s Tommy and whoever-the-fuck’s other cars a few feet away, coming dangerously close and fast. Another curve approaches and Billy intends to lose the newbies before he reaches that, so he presses on the clutch and shifts gears smoothly, gaining some speed quickly. Steve freaks out at the sudden change and starts to babble some “ohgodohgodohgod”. He’s being a baby, and Billy finds it endearing so he laughs and suddenly woo’s at the excitement of the race, left hand out the window and all.

“C’mon pretty boy...Here.” he takes a drag from the cigarette and then passes it to Steve, winking as he easily goes through the curve. Steve takes the cigarette to his lips and inhales. His breathing regulates a little and he tries to just...take it easy; so he listens to the lyrics and thinks about how Billy just had this cigarette in his mouth. This particular item doesn’t taste like Strawberry, but there are hints of peach...and Steve can’t help but wonder if this comes from Billy’s chapstick or something. The thought makes him blush, so he sits back calmly in his seat.

The more Billy drives, the less nervous Steve feels. He begins to admire Billy’s ability at driving, and pulling off all these psychotic stunts; when Billy isn’t trying to show off, he’s actually quite pleasant. Steve realises how smooooth the ride is, so he begins to radiate a serene energy. Somebody to Love starts to play next, and both boys beam up, singing along loudly and lighting up another cigarette to bask in the moment.

“Do you have another lollipop around?” Steve mocks at Billy, who just laughs.

“I do not...but I have something better!” Billy suddenly takes a sharp turn to the right, clearly leaving the road and the trail of red ribbons behind. A few jitters on this rocky road don’t bother Billy, but Steve is ABSOLUTELY bothered and worried because...perhaps he IS getting kidnapped after all?

“Woah...you just totally missed the road...y-you’re going to lose the race.”

“Don’t worry, princess...I know where I’m going.”

“B-Billy...I know we’re way ahead of the others...but they might still find out that you’re cheating by taking a shortcut.” Steve hopes this is exactly what Billy’s is doing.

“Steve, Steve...I have other plans in mind. I don’t give a shit about the race, ok?”

So Steve sits there...doe eyed and confused out of his fucking mind, taking the last drag from the cigarette.

Billy is no longer driving fast...he’s sort of just cruising, and after a few minutes they reach another dirt road. Billy then tries to make conversation with Steve; the poor boy is clearly worried that he might die or whatever. So he asks him about his friends, and what movies and artists he’s into (aside from obviously Queen). Steve just answers...he might be confused as hell, but he honestly enjoys talking about movies and music.. He’s always been curious about who Billy is as well, and what his life is about so this was his chance. When the handsome boy from California took him out on this date, he never imagined it would be adrenaline filled, but he was glad for the opportunity to talk one on one.

  
  


They drove for what felt like half an hour, laughing and joking. Billy regained Steve’s trust and they got to know one another and learn about lame things that happened in their lives before high school. Right before Steve could ask Billy if he had any pets, he turned left and stopped the car.

“Sorry...I might have gotten lost for a second back there, but we’re here now.” Billy looks hopeful at Steve.

“Where are we anyways?” He looks out the window.

“Honestly, Steve...I’m not even sure.” He chuckles and undoes his seat belt. “I sort of found this place on accident while driving around to get my mind off of things...and like...when we agreed to have the race on the outskirts of town, I thought it was a great opportunity to bring you over. C’mon!” Billy steps out of his car, Steve quickly doing the same. Once outside he looks to the right and see’s a few lights on the distance.

“Oh wow...we’re further than town outskirts out here! You must have really had a lot of things to take off your mind if you came out such a long way.” He turns to Billy, who is now taking out a fucking blanket from the trunk of his car.

“Yeeeeah...but that’s not important. Here, come sit next to me.” He places the blanket on a soft patch of grass next to the car and Steve goes over to sit (why not?). Billy points up and Steve follows his finger, letting out a loud gasp.

“I had never seen the stars this bright and close!” Steve exclaims.

“You have no idea how glad I am we have a clear sky today.” Billy says and starts to shamelessly lay down with his arms under his head. Steve can’t even believe this soft boy is the same idiot that mocks him in basketball practice and demands assertively for Steve to do stuff. What even is this species of man?

“Lay down, pretty boy.”

“Ummm…”

“It’s ok… I don’t bite too hard.” Billy smirks and bats his eyelashes at Steve, sort of puppy-eye style to persuade him. He knows how to use his looks and charms for convincing...and Steve secretly loves it. So he lays about a foot away from Billy, with his hands resting on his tummy.

“No, Steve...come closer.” Billy takes out one of his arms from under his head and extends it out across the blanket for Steve to lay on. So he nervously approaches and lays on his arm, Billy quickly hugging him closer. Steve could smell between the crook of Billy’s neck and his collarbone; a strange combination of smoky cologne that had been washed away by the waves of sweat that probably dripped down his neck during the intensity of the race.

They laid this way, looking at the sky in silence for a bit; until Billy started throwing star names at Steve and naming constellations. Billy spoke about astrology as well, and how the bullshit of compatibility between zodiac signs was dumb, but he still liked to indulge in that shit. Steve had always dreamed of a date with someone where they just stargazed and maybe talked about their dreams: so when Billy asked Steve what he wanted out of life, he just lost it. His eyes dripping tears onto Billy’s denim jacket and sniffling in the process.

“Holy shit, pretty boy. Everything alright?”

**"I... think I love you."** Steve unintentionally says through a sob and reaches to wipe a tear. Billy smiles from ear to ear at Steve’s hair.

“You love me?” He plays around.

“Sorry! Sorry...it’s just that I always wanted to have this experience and…” Steve continues but is now IN TEARS. Unable to coherently speak through the sniffles and choked gasps.

“Hey, take it easy...we’re no longer racing. Though I must admit my heart is.” Billy whispers into Steve’s ear and giggles at his own wit.

Steve also chuckles and blushes like crazy at the statement. “Oh my goodness, Bill. You idiot. Stop making this day more amazing or I’m going to implode.” he can’t stop smiling and presses his hands to his face in embarrassment.

“Is that a threat?”

“Maybe..?”

In response, Billy whispers things about how gorgeous Steve is and how his eyes gleam so beautifully under the stars. He tells him how he hasn’t stopped thinking about him and his pretty legs since he first laid eyes on him. Steve is a blushing mess, melting into Billy’s chest. Billy then suggestively whispers something about going back inside his car for some cuddles under the moonlight, and Steve just gushes all over, trembling at the vibrations from Billy’s whispers. He bites his bottom lip and asks if there’s enough room for “cuddles” in there, so Billy smugly replies; “Why don’t we go figure that out?” So  they take the blanket inside the car with them to smooch about under the moonlit night.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to send me some prompts! [Prompt list](https://xgardensinspace.tumblr.com/tagged/help-me-write)
> 
> You can follow me and my art on tumblr at [xgardensinspace](https://xgardensinspace.tumblr.com/)  
> You can also follow Gideon on tumblr! [@gideongrace](http://gideongrace.tumblr.com/)   
> And he is also an astonishing writer! Link to his ao3 is on the top note!


End file.
